Valve bag and method of making the same



June 30, 1936. T. E. COTY VALVE BAG AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAMEOriginal Filed Nov. 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Original Filed Nov. 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATES VALVE BAG AND METHOD OF MAKING THESAME Thomas Earl Coty, Watertown, N. Y.

Application November 4, 1933, Serial No. 696,704 Renewed September 27,1935 17' Claims.

My present invention relates to bags, particularly paper bags; andespecially to the so-called valve bag" which is usually made of a numberof sheets of heavy paper constituting a multiple wall web, blanks fromthe tubes formed from the web being cut off and having one end foldedand sealed in a bottoming machine, while the other endis folded and leftunsealed at one side to form a valve opening so that granular orpulverulent materials such as cement, sugar or the like, may be injectedinto the bag by suitable means through a tube inserted in the valve.

These bags are old and well known, but usually made they are subject toa serious objection in that with some forms of material (particularlythose which are not powdered such as granulated sugar, or the like) theclosing of the valve by the weight of the material is not entirelyefiective, so that there is more or less leakage waste sifting out andwhich is highly objectionable in the case of food products for sanitaryreasons as well as by reason of expense through wastage.

The present invention overcomes the difficulty by sealing the valveafter the bag is filled, so that there is no waste whatever in ordinarypractice, except such as may be incident to the filling operation. Thebag as a whole, after it is sealed, is hermetically closed and may behandled without spilling the contents after leaving the factory in whichit is filled.

To effect the ends pointed out I cut in the web or in the outer plythereof, a sealing flap and preferably reinforce the place from whichthe flap has been cut from the web by means of a strip of material,generally paper, which is secured over the opening formed by the flap.When the valve end is formed in the bottoming ma-,

mechanismv for making it. Suh mechanism forms matter for anotherapplication.

In general, the bag resemblesfthose which I have disclosed in my priorpatent, No. 1,903,285, issued April 4th, 1933, for what is known in, thetrade as a "sift-proof bag. This discloses. one way in which the bag maybe closed at one end, although I may also employ the construction shownin my parallel pending application, Se-

rial Number 672,717, filed May 24th, 1933, for

what is known in the trade as the cut-out bottom" bag. This constructionhas been applied to a large number of valve bags, in fact to manymillions of them, and the sealing of these after filling is theprincipal object of the present invention, as already pointed out.

The accompanying drawings show an embodiment of the invention; theyillustrate also the steps of the process of manufacture, which I aim tocover by "art" claims.

In the drawings:'

Figure 1 is a portion of a web showing the sealing flap already cut,before the web is formed into a tube. I

Figure 2 is a bag-blank or tube cut off from the web showing the flap atone of the folded edges of the tube with the reinforce applied there.

Figure 3 shows the shape of the reinforce when it has been applied; andFigure 3 when opened.

Figure 4 isa cross-section of the blank shown in Figure 2, on the line4-4.

Figure 5 shows the end of the blank shown in Figure 2 on a somewhatlarger scale, after one 2 of the sift-proof notches has been formed.

Figure 6 shows the next step of formation of the valve bag when the bagend is opened with two of the sides folded in, but before the other twosides are folded.

Figure 7 shows the formation of the valve-end of the bag, with myimproved end inopen position.

Figure 8 is a view showing the introduction of the tubeinto the valve.

Figure 9 shows how the sealing of the flap is folded to complete theseal of the valve; and

Figure 10 is a view of the complete bag with the valve opening closedand sealed according to the invention.

Figure 11 is like Figure l, but the reinforce is omitted.

Figures 12 and 13 show a slit in the ply A of the web, instead of thereinforce.

Figures 14, 15 and 16 are parallel .to Figures 5, '7 and 8, with thereinforce removed.

Figures 17, 18 and 19 are like Figures 8, 9 and 10, with the slit in webA substituted for the prior construction with a reinforce.

To one familiar with the art the drawings are almost entirelyself-explanatory.

In Figure 1, A is the upper sheet of a multiwall web; A and A" indicateother sheets which go to form the web. There may of course be more thanthree sheets, or the bag may be formed of. a less number.

h At B is shown the flap cut from one of the sheets of the web, while Bshows the opening made by the cutting of the flap, and C shows thereinforce which may be afterwards applied at this point.

The reinforce is shown in Figure 3 and it may be applied in a flat formon the web shown in Figure 1, or it may be folded, as shown on the rightin Figure 3, and applied to the edge of the v and shows at D thenotches, formed in one end of the tube, before said end is folded toform the sift-proof seal of my patent already referred to; E, E are theportions which form two of the closure flaps, and F, F are the other twoclosure flaps, before folding. These flaps are shown completely closedin Fig. 7.

Figure 6 shows the first stage of opening the bag bottom so as to beready for sealing the bag. Figure '7 shows the valve-end sealed exceptfor the closure to be made after the bag is filled, and the parts aremarked as before. The reinforce is here shown in dotted lines because itis beneath the folded ends of the valve, and opening B is shown indotted lines because it is behind the reinforce C.

In Figure 8 the parts are as before, but here the tube of the fillingmachine is shown atG.

In Figure 9 the tube has been withdrawn and the fiap B is being closed,after paste has .been applied thereto in any convenient way, by thefinger of the operator.

Figure 10 shows the bag completed, broken away for convenience ofillustration.

I have pointed out in my statement of invention that the constructionemploying the reinforce C is preferred, as the seal is stronger when somade; but it is not essential to the invention, which is not limited inthat respect. On the contrary, I may effect the seal by cutting the flapin the outer ply as before, but instead of applying the reinforce overthe hole and sealing the flap thereupon I cut a slit in the next layerof the web, near the base of the flap, and after the bag is filled Iseal the fiap over the slit, thus effectively sealing the bag. InFigures 1 to 19 this form of closure is shown; these figures areparallel to Figures 1 to 10, except that Figure 4 is not repeated. Inall these figures the steps of construction are as already describedwith reference to the reinforce" type of seal. In them the slit is shownin the ply A of the web, and is lettered H. As shown it is located nearthe base of the flap, and is of such a length as will permit its beingsealed over its entire length when the flap is secured, in general beinga little shorter than the fiap on its line of measurement. It mustevidently be long enough to permit the insertion and withdrawal of thespout G of the filling machine; otherwise its precise location and sizeare subject to variation. The reference letters in Figures 1 to 19indicate the same parts as in Figures 1 to 10; detailed descriptionseems unnecessary. Ply A is pasted to ply A so that the slit opens whenA is lifted, permitting the insertion of the spout G, as shown inFigures 16 and 17, for example. This pasting is sufliciently far fromthe slit H to permit the flap Bto bepassed between the plies when thevalve is sealed by closing the flap, as shown in Figures 18 and 19.

The method of forming the bag will be apparent from these figures. Itconsists in cutting a flap in the web and closing and sealing the flapafter the bag is filled. Also as a specific form of the method ofoperation, it consists in cutting the fiap as already described, andthen covering the opening made by the fiap by means of a reinforce, thisbeing effected either while the web is fiat and before it is formed inthe tuber, or after the web has been folded, and either before or afterthe blank has been separated from the rest of the web.

- As a further detailed process of manufacture, the multiwall form ofbag is formed by assembling several plies of material, usually heavypaper, into a web, cutting a flap in the outer ply, by preferenceleavingone side of the flap attached to the web, applying a reinforce over thehole or cutting a slit in the next ply of the web, folding the valveendof the bag and in so doing pasting the upper surface of the reinforce orof the second ply to the upper ply leaving the crack between the flapterials. It may also be used with good efiect' for bags containingpulverulent materials.

What is claimed is:-

1. The improvement in the art of sealing folded and pasted valve-bags,which consists in forming a flap in the web; folding the web in thetuber so that the flap is left upon one side at the valve-end of theblank; then folding and sealing the folds to close the valve-end,leaving the flap open for the insertion of the filler tube; and finallysealing the valve-end by closing and sealing the flap against aco-operating surface after the filling is complete.

2. The improvement in the art of making valve-bags, which consists informing a fiap for sealing the valve, applying a reinforce adjacent tothe fiap, and sealing the fiap upon the reinforce, thereby sealing thevalv as described.

3. The improvement in the art of forming valve-bags, which consists inassembling several plies of material into a web; cutting a fiap in theouter ply of the web, leaving one side of the flap attached to the ply;applying a reinforce to the opening made by cutting the flap; foldingandpasting the valve-end of the bag; securing the upper side of thereinforce to the folds of the valve-end, leaving the opening between thefiap and reinforce ready for the spout of the filling machine, and theflap and reinforce available to seal the valve end, as described.

4. As a. new articleof manufacture, a multiply valve-bag provided with aflap for sealing the valve-end and a reinforce over the opening made bythe cutting. of the flap.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a valvebag having a flap cut in 9.ply of the web; a reinforce over the opening left by the cutting of theflap; the flap and reinforce co-operating to close the valve openingwhen sealed together, as described.

6. A folded and pasted valve-bag provided with means for sealing thevalve after the bag has been filled, such means comprising a flap cut ina .ply'oi the bag, and means co-opera with the flap to effect the seal.

'1. A multl-wall bag provided 'with means for sealing the valve afterfilling the bag, comprising the opening from which the'flap is cut, thereinforcing piece being sealed on its upper side to the folds of thevalve-end of the bag; whereby the space between the flap and thereinforce constitutes an entrance for the tube of the filling machine,and sealing the flap and the reinforce together seals'the valve-end ofthe bag, as described.

8. A multlwall blank from which a valve-bag is to be formed, having onone edge a flap cut from the outer ply of the wall, a flap beingattached at one side to the wall, and a reinforce covering the holewhere the flap was cut; the flap and reinforce constituting a sealingmeans for the valve-end.

9. A blank for forming folded .and pasted valve-bags, comprising amultiwall tube having a valve opening and an integral sealing flap cutfrom a ply of the blank, said flap being 11031- I tioned to overlie thevalve opening, and a surface against which the flap may be pasted toseal the valve-opening.

10. A blank for forming a folded and pasted" valve-bag, comprising aflattened multiwall tube having a valve opening, said tube having anintegral sealing flap out near an edge thereof from a ply near one endof the blank, the flap arranged to, co-operate with the surface formedby another ply to close and seal the valve-opening after the bag istilled.

.11. A blank for forming a sealed v'alv e-rbag, comprising a tube havinga sealing flap near one end positioned to overlie and seal the valveopening, and a reinforcing strip secured to the tube adjacent the flap.

12. A blank for forming a valve-bag, compris an integral sealing flapcut from an edge thereof near one end and adapted to close the valveopening when said end is folded to form the opening, and areinforcingstrip adhesively attached to the tube adjacent the sealing flap.

14. As a new article of manufacture, a pasted valve-bag having a foldedend and with a portion thereof unsealed to provide a valve-opening, asealing flap cut -from a ply of the bag and overlying the valve-opening,the flap co-operating with the surface of another ply to close and sealthe valve after the bag is filled.

15. As a new article of manufacture, a multiwall bag formed from a tubehaving one end' closed and another end folded and pasted to form aclosure having a valve opening, and a "sealing flap cut in the outer plyof the wall adapted to overlie and close and seal an opening in the nextply by being pasted against the surface of the said ply. g

16. As a new article of manufacture, a multi- -wall bag formed from atube having one of its ends folded and pasted to form a closure and avalve opening, and a foldable sealing flap formed from a ply of themultiwall tube and adapted to overlie and close and seal thevalveopening by being pasted against the surface of the nextply. I i

17. As a newarticle of manufacture, a valvebag having a folded end witha portion thereof unsealed to provide a valve opening between the folds,a reinforcing strip secured to the folded end. of the bag at saidopening, and a sealing flap adapted to be adhesively' attached to saidstrip to-close and seal the opening.

, I THOMAS EARL COTY.

